June 18, 2020. Sullivan Bay to Port McNeill. 27 NM.
Back on land! We started the day in Sullivan Bay, with the rain falling lightly. After another walk around the docks, we headed out, completing the circuit over the top of North Broughton Island, and headed south. We planned to anchor overnight in a small cove in the middle of the Broughtons called Joe Cove, but the rain held off, and the sea was calm and glassy, so we just kept motoring west, back to Port McNeill.
Arctic Charm in Sullivan Bay
We came across the open waters of Queen Charlotte Strait, and we had high hopes that we could finally unfurl the sails to bring us back to Vancouver Island, but the most wind we saw all day was 4 knots, and that was right before we turned into Port McNeill. The rest of the day was glassy calm, with 2-3 knots of wind.
Little happened on the motor boat trip today. We had breakfast en route, of bagels toasted in the frying pan with peanut butter and jam, then cheese quesadillas a couple of hours later. At one point, we paused to put the dinghy back on deck, in anticipation of a couple of nights on a dock. While floating in the straight doing this, we were buzzed by a fancy POLICE boat checking us out, We gave them a friendly wave while the dinghy hung from the mast. We saw some porpoises, and an otter, but no whales.
A barge with gravel and trucks, headed to or from the gravel mine.
We pulled into the North Island Marina in Port McNeill around 3 p.m., and took a walk around town. Sara bought some new boots to make up for her old ones that are literally falling apart. I looked at some as well, hoping to find something warmer than my 30 year old boots that my parents bought for me when I was a teenager on their boat. But it looks like not much has changed in the interval, at least when it comes to sailing boots. I bought some warm wool socks, instead.
We popped across the street to Pharmasave, and bought a few log books to keep track of all the various things we have been following on the boat, including weather, maintenance, fuel, etc. Then, we headed back down to the boat for dinner and a chat with the kids, who we haven’t talked to in what seems like a long time. I don’t think they perceived it the same way. It’s funny, time does seem to move at a different speed when you are out adventuring than when you are at home. We’ve only been on the boat for just over a week, but it feels like a month. I remember feeling the same way when we sailed in the Caribbean. It felt like we had lived 5 years, but when we got home, little had changed, and people seemed to have lived a shorter time than we had since we had left. I don’t think it’s because we were moving at the speed of light. Just having more experiences every day made our lives seem fuller.
Mud flats at North Island Marina, Port McNeill
Dinner on the boat tonight was beef shish kabobs, cooked in the oven, since it is still too cold to really barbecue. We also had asparagus, Greek salad, and roasted potatoes, also done in the oven.
Then, another walk in the light rain, and a tour of the docks, looking at all the boats. Sara has started looking at “retirement” boats, for which she has decided a powerboat would be the ideal way to explore this area. I have to admit, we have been impersonating a motor boat until now on this trip. It is embarrassing, but has been the practical way to get where we are going so far. Still, the poetry and beauty of a well-found sailboat speaks to me in a way that few if any powerboats have managed. Maybe some day if we can’t sail at all, I will consider switching over for the simplicity, but something will be lost when that happens.
On our after-dinner walk, we also came across the highlight of Port McNeill, the worlds largest burl! Who knew we would be treated to a world record holding wood knot? I guess that is the kind of thing that makes travel so exciting.
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